KUCZYNSKI RESINGS THE PRESIDENCY OF PERU AFTER THE ACCUSATIONS OF PURCHASING VOTES

Lima / The president of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, resigned his post, following allegations of the Fujimorist Popular Force party, over an alleged purchase of votes from legislators to avoid his dismissal for alleged relationship with the Brazilian company Odebrecht.

In a message to the Nation, Kuczynski announced his resignation, 20 months after taking office, due to the “climate of ungovernability” that affects the country and that “does not allow progress.”

The head of state, whose resignation must still be accepted by Congress, denounced the “serious distortion of the political process” caused by the broadcast of videos and audio tracks in the last hours that made him “unfairly appear guilty of acts” in which “I had not participated.”

“The best thing for the country is for him to resign from the presidency,” Kuczynski said, surrounded by his ministerial cabinet in a message taped at the Government Palace.

After his speech, the leftist group of New Peru announced that it will not accept the resignation of Kuczynski and that it will propose to vote his resignation, which was foreseen in the plenary session of the Congress for tomorrow Thursday.

The spokesman of New Peru, Alberto Quintanilla, explained to TVPerú channel “we are inclined not to accept the resignation because he has not done any mea culpa and intends to present his resignation as the Congress has made an interference” in his administration.

Quintanilla added that they will file a residence trial against Kuczynski so that “he can not leave the country until the cases of alleged commission of crimes for the purchase of votes are clarified.”

Hours before, the president of the Congress, the Fujimorist Luis Galarreta, announced a constitutional accusation process to defraud five congressmen, among them the current Prime Minister, Mercedes Aráoz, and Kenji Fujimori, for an alleged purchase of votes to avoid the presidential vacancy.

With the diffusion of the recordings made by Fuerza Popular, all the benches of the Parliament announced their vote in favour of the vacancy of Kuczynski, including the ruling party that had also asked for his resignation. (March 21, 2018, EFE/Practica Español)